The trouble began last Thursday after a small group of terrorists snuck into the southern coastal city of Eilat.  Upon reaching the city, they opened fire on a city bus wounding ten passengers.  One of them then proceeded to detonate a bomb killing himself and a nearby bus driver.  Soon after firing at an Air Force helicopter, one of the terrorists began to shoot at two different passing cars, killing a total of five people.  Several minutes later, a military jeep arrived, ran over one of the terrorists, leaving only one left.  However, armed with enough firepower to kill hundreds, the terrorist was not easy to bring down.  The terrorist opened fire on another military jeep hitting all the soldiers and killing one of them.  After fleeing the scene, the terrorist was soon tracked down by the police’s counterterrorism unit wherein a gunfight ensued ending in his death.

Although the violence had temporarily ceased, it was not even close to over.  Half an hour later, two other terrorists, standing in Egyptian territory began firing at the counterterrorism unit who quickly responded and killed the gunmen.  Then, just four hours later,  after the Air Force received intelligence concerning the other terrorists locations, they mobilized their units and  eliminated the targets with several air strikes in their locations.  Soon after, gunshots were fired from the border at Israeli soldiers, one being hit and left in critical condition.  In total, the death toll that day amounted to eight people.

Since the end of the initial day of fighting, the level of danger has only risen.  Cities in southern Israel have been hit by over 150 rockets, killing and injuring several people. So far, over one million Israelis have needed to use their special “safe” rooms installed in every home and apartment for safety purposes.

Michael Mellul (’12), who had just come to Israel last Thursday, underwent a firsthand experience of the chaos shaking the southern city of Ashdod.  “We were all sleeping in our apartment and around 5:00 am Friday morning the siren for the city went off” said Mellul.  He went on to say that as they quickly ran into the safe room, they suddenly heard the crash of rockets and bombs in the distance, hitting nearby buildings.

Even during this week’s past holocaust remembrance event in Israel, organized by former TV host Glenn Beck, much of the spotlight was geared towards the ongoing violence in the country’s south.  Often comparing the tragic holocaust during World War II to the bloodshed and genocide of today, Beck was brought down to tears begging people to heed his message of once and for all standing up to the terrorism.  Even award winning actor Jon Voight, who has always been known as a strong supporter of the state of Israel, was present at the event and had some important words to say.   “How have we come to a time when blowing up babies and cutting their throats are acceptable means to a political goal?” Voight asked. “I feel complete contempt for anyone not intelligent enough to see that the media propaganda portraying the Palestinians as victims endangers the state of Israel. We are facing a new Holocaust, and people of all faiths must demand that truth be heard. The Palestinian radicals have only one prayer on their lips: To remove every Jew from Israel.”

Although at this point the past few days have resulted in a developing cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, many Palestinian groups have already broken this cease-fire and will continue destroying Israeli homes and lives.  As of now its unclear what will happen, but as the past shows, no matter if Israel chooses to fight back or offer peace once again, its enemies will keep coming back for more.

We stayed for three nights and two days in Nuria, and went for hikes both days. The mountains were beautiful, but the hostel was not. I can’t say I was sorry when we moved on to the next place and I was no longer sleeping in the same room as 17 other girls.
After Nuria, we went to Barcelona. The three groups separated again, but we met up for activities. We went to the Museo de Picasso, the Sagrada Familia, and Gaudi’s apartment complex.

Gaudi was a famous architect in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works were far ahead of his time; he designed the Sagrada Familia, which is a cathedral that looks like a sand castle. Most of the cathedrals I’ve seen are dark inside, but the Sagrada Familia has nearly floor to ceiling windows. It has huge columns throughout that look like pillars of sand, and the whole outside is decorated in block figures depicting Jesus’s life.

The other building we went to, also designed by Gaudi, was an apartment complex. The rooms all flow into each other, and his sculptures on top are beautiful mosaics in shapes like soft-serve ice cream. Gaudi was very much about flowing structures, rather than lines and boxes. I don’t think one of the rooms in the apartment complex is actually a square.

Our last night in Spain, my group went to this thing called a blind dinner. Everyone goes into a pitch-black room, and you’re served dinner by blind waiters. The waiters know the layout of the room and so they are more able to function in the dark than the guests. We didn’t know what we were eating until afterwards.

I can now say that I have inadvertently consumed lamb brain…

My group leader said that the dinner was a metaphor for how we jumped into this other culture blindly.

I’ve noticed that being in Spain made me more able to just go with the flow; because I couldn’t understand what my host family said in the beginning, I just followed along and made the best of whatever situation I was in.

As a group, we were also really independent during the entire stay. While in Madrid, Guadix and Barcelona, we wandered around pretty much unchecked. Knowing that we had to rely on ourselves to get back to the hotel made me, at least, much more conscious of my own surroundings.

I think the most important lesson I learned this trip was that my experience was unique. I don’t know how every Spanish family acts. I only know how my host family acted. I don’t know if Spanish store owners are always nice to Americans, or if it was only because I spoke Spanish to them. But I won’t try to generalize Spaniards or Spanish culture, because there is no way to do so.  In fact, I don’t think there’s any way to generalize people in any culture. When people say that Americans are fat and lazy, that’s a lie. There might be people in America who are fat and lazy, but Americans as a whole are not.

Being in another country made me aware of the stereotypes around the world and how false they really are.

I’m really going to miss Spain.

Tonight, we have a going-away party for the Americans, hosted by the Americans. It´s to say thank you to our host families. Afterwards, we´re all going to a discoteca, which is a club. Discotecas are free here, unless one wants to drink.

The entire Spanish psyche when it comes to drinking alcohol is fascinating to me, as an American. At the parties in my host town, teenagers can buy alcoholic drinks and nobody looks at them twice. I already wrote about the bottellons, which are parties where all the young people in a town get together, in the open, and drink. It´s legal for kids to drink beer and wine at sixteen, and hard liquor at eighteen. The fact that towns have set times and places where kids can drink, and police watching to make sure nothing gets out of hand, actually seems almost safer to me than the American basement-party thing. At least there´s adult supervision here.

In other news, I´ve ridden a motorcycle. Here, kids can get motorcycles when they´re sixteen. They don´t start driving until they are eighteen. I was with my entire group at a flamenco show, and on the way back, my leader´s host brother, who´s sixteen, stopped to get his motorcycle. I didn´t even think, I just asked “Wait, can I come with you?” He looked a little surprised for a minute (he´s Spanish and I´m American, and we´d only ever seen each other in the group, so we´d never really talked) but then he nodded. So he pulled a second helmet out of a compartment in the seat, handed it to me, and told me to get on.

I had absolutely no clue what I was doing, but I clambered onto the motorcycle behind him.

He´s a teenage boy, so he thought it would be funny to rev the motorcycle and then go speeding off down the street to scare me and the rest of my group, who´d moved ahead. Luckily, my leader got a picture of me on the back of the motorcycle before he peeled off down a random cobblestone road.

We arrived at the meeting place about ten minutes before the rest of the group, so we had time to talk. His family has hosted American siblings for years now, sometimes for three months in the winter, sometimes for two weeks in the summer. He said he loves learning about the culture in America.

The parties in my host town are crazy. We´ve been staying out until three thirty or four every morning. It´s like a travelling fair; they set up a long line of amusement park rides, and they have a bunch of clubs blasting dance music at the end of the street. There are bouncers and everything. We´ve been sleeping in until two or three in the afternoon.

After I leave my host family on Tuesday, I take an overnight train to the Pyrenees mountains. My group spends two days and one night in the mountains, hiking. Then we go to Barcelona, where we finish out the trip. I get back to the States on August 2.

I´ll write again when I get home!

In other news, I´ve officially jumped off a cliff. Cliff diving is a crazy experience. It´s literally your stomach jumping about five seconds before the rest of your body. You hit the water and wish you´d held your nose. I´ve also gone down a slide into the ocean. Slides and cliff diving are apparently both big things here.

I´m living with my host family now. The best way to describe them would be beautiful. They´re a beautiful family, their house is beautiful, their dog is beautiful, their restaurant is beautiful.
It was a bit disappointing to discover that Spanish sisters are the same as American sisters. They squabble. They also watch the Disney channel at 9 o’clock in the morning (although Mickey Mouse is speaking Spanish) and have jokes and everything else. I guess sisters are a universal thing.
I don´t think I ever really understood the concept that people live in foreign countries before. When I was just travelling through Spain, or France, or England, it was hard to grasp that some people see those mountains, those rivers, those buildings every day for their entire lives. They´re never homesick for Cherry Hill.

Now, I´m sleeping in the basement with my host family on camp beds and sofas, and I finally understand that this is home for some people. After I leave my host family in 9 days, they´re going to go on with their lives.

A lot of the music here is American. They love Shakira, Rihanna, and Pitbull. When you turn on the radio, half the time the music is Spanish, and half the time Britney Spears has “never felt love like this before.”
Another big thing (at least in my experience) is parks. When I was in Guadix, the kids would spend the evenings hanging out in parks. Here in Granada, my host sister does the same.
It´s very hot here during the day. Like, ridiculously hot. I didn´t really understand the whole siesta at two p.m. thing, but now I get it. The hottest hours are the early afternoon. People go inside where it´s cooler, and then at around five or six, they come back out and stay out later in the evening.
Starting Thursday, there´s a five-day party in the town where I´m staying. I´m pretty excited for it, although apparently we´re going to be staying up till four a.m. Since my Spanish gets worse the later it gets, I´m probably going to have some trouble.
On the bright side, I do understand a lot of what my host family says to me, and they only have to remind me of words a couple of times before I remember.
Tomorrow, I´m going camping for the second time in my life. The first time was with my uncle and aunt in my grandma´s backyard. This time, I´ll be in the Sierra Nevada with a group of teenagers, half of whom speak English, and half of whom speak Spanish. We´ll leave in the morning tomorrow and get back Tuesday night. I´m terrified.
Well, now I have to go watch Sponge Bob in Spanish. It´s incredibly awkward because Sponge Bob´s voice is deep here.

I´m still in Guadix. My group has teamed up with the Spanish youth to put on a play about Frederico Garcia Lorca, a man from the Guadix-Grenada area who went to New York, was homesick, and made friends. The play is all music, dancing, and interpretation–none of the actors speak. You would think that by doing a play without words, everyone would be able to understand the play, but I´m still not quite sure what I´m doing.

I find that I´m learning much more about Spanish culture from the Spanish kids I hang out with than I ever could from this play. They take us out a couple of nights each week, and we go to the park or to a party, and my group speaks Spanish and the Spaniards speak English. They´ve all been really great, and it´s a lot of fun trying to explain in another language that yes, Harry Potter is an angsty teenager but no, that does not mean I hate the books.

Yesterday, we went to the beach. I can´t give an opinion on European beaches based solely on Dulce Agua, but there were a lot more topless people there than in America. Other than that, it was pretty much the same as any other beach I´ve ever been to.

It´s difficult to understand some of the people I talk to because of their accents. Here in Guadix, for instance, some people cut off the ends of their words. I think comprehension will come with practice, so I´m not too worried.

On Wednesday, our group separates for our homestays. I´m going to live with the Castellanos family in Atarfe, which is apparently on the outskirts of Grenada. I don´t know how most of the group feels about the separation, but I´m getting antsy here in Guadix.

We´re done with our ceramics lessons, and I have made some very lovely necklace charms, as well as a mirror frame. I don´t know how I´m going to transport all of this home, but I´ll manage.

Something that Spain has a lot of is stray dogs. I adopted one at a party the other night. I´m naming him Scruffy, and if I hadn´t lost him, then I would´ve taken him home with me. He is one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen, and I hope he´s okay.

One of my Spanish friends has given me a book written entirely in Spanish. It´s called El Colgante Maldito, which I think means “Tiki Doll of Doom.” I can´t decide if it was originally written in English, but from the cover, it looks to be along the lines of Bunnicula, so it probably was. I´m excited to start reading it; I hope I understand at least some of it.

Well, I have to go to a barbacoa in honor of our new Spanish friends. I´ll know much more about Spanish culture next time I write.

I´ll be honest, I was pretty apprehensive about going to Spain. I´m going to be here for five weeks total, with nine kids I´ve never met before in my life, and a group leader I have previously had no contact with. So when I drove up to JFK Airport with my family, my basic thought process was “Will these kids like me? Will I like them? Will I be homesick?” and so on. Pretty much every thought anyone who
has ever gone away with a youth group has had.

This is supposed to be a cultural experience, so I´ll talk about the culture that we´ve experienced so far, which is a lot.

Our flight ended up being delayed, so I was sitting around in an airport with a bunch of kids from all over the country. There were two other groups from the same company (Experiment in International Living) on our flight, and meeting those other kids and their group leaders didn´t assuage my fears at all. I was terrified that going to Spain was going to be mandatory fun with a sergeant for a group leader. But my group leader, Jennifer, is really sweet (as I discovered sometime between the original flight from JFK and the connection flight from France), and that made me feel a lot better. My group members are also amazingly well-suited for each other. We don´t have a lot of common interests, so there can´t be any cliques, and everyone is really sweet and inclusive. We´ve already started calling each other family.

By the time we got to Madrid, it was ten thirty at night here, and I was starving. So we ate dinner at ten thirty at night in a beautiful square somewhere in Madrid, and I have to say it was amazing. Something much less amazing (for the first few days, at least) is the fact that we eat dinner at ten thirty every night. Or eleven. Sometimes ten, if we have an activity after dinner… Lunch is at two p.m., and breakfast is at nine in the morning. They also don´t have goldfish. The snack that smiles back. I wish I could say that I´m being adventurous and eating Spanish food alongside everybody else, but that would be a lie. I don´t eat seafood, and I also don´t eat mysterious meats covered in mushroom sauce. So basically, while my group mates are trying rabo de toro (bull tail) and purple octopus babies (and loving both, I might add), I´m living off of bread and fruit. Hey, there are worse things. I like bread.

On the bright side, for the three days we stayed in Madrid, Jennifer let us explore the city. We learned how to navigate the metro system in a foreign language, led American chants in the park, and discovered the beauty of several museums. My favorite was probably the Reina Sofia, where we wandered through galleries full of Picasso´s sketches. We also saw a flamenco version of Carmen, and although I can´t claim to have understood even a quarter of it, the review we read afterwards as we drove to Toledo clarified things for me.

We only spent a few hours in Toledo, but if I had to name one city ¨el ciudad mas bonita en el mundo¨ it would be Toledo. It´s impossible to even begin to describe the view of the hills and valleys around the city, the way the cobblestone streets slope and stretch, the way the houses (painted in pastels and yellows) sit slanty but somehow tall and strong… We´re usually supposed to wander in groups of two or three, and our group often just stays together, but Jennifer made us promise to wander alone in Toledo for a half hour. And I have to say, when it was only me and the brick walls of the city around me, the magic was tenfold. My group mates were joking that they wanted to stay in Toledo instead of moving on to Guadix (where we are now), but I really don´t think I could have handled so much beauty for more than half a day.

I understand about one word in every four that people speak, and the accents of the people here mean that words like “dos” and “tres” are “do” and “tre”, which was a bit of a slap in the face because I swore I knew Spanish so well, but I´m beginning to understand more as the days go by. In fact, our group is only speaking Spanish to each other now from breakfast till dinner, at which point we can spend the evening chattering in English. I think that the locals are less hostile towards us than towards some Americans, because we´re trying to speak their language and understand their culture.

In ten days, we go to Grenada to stay with host families for two weeks. Starting tomorrow, we´ll be practicing a play for them. It´s interpretive dance based on the life of a famous Spaniard. We´ll also be starting ceramics, which sounds fun, although a bit daunting. I thought ceramics meant making pots, but apparently it would be too difficult to bring pots home to our families, so we´re making jewelry.

Last night, we went to something called a bottelon, which is where a bunch of Spanish kids get together and drink. Literally the whole town showed up, and although my group didn´t drink, it was a lot of fun. It was a really amazing cultural experience, because the drinking age here is sixteen for wine and beer, and so all the young people in town get together and then go to clubs. It didn´t end till six in the morning, but my group left early. I´ve noticed that the Spanish culture is very inclusive, and it seemed like everyone in Guadix knew each other to some degree. No one was left standing alone, and at one point, someone´s dog (possibly the most adorable puppy I have ever seen in my entire life) came running up to my group mate and chewed on his leg, so I started petting the dog. The guy who owned it (probably twenty, with huge gauges, guyliner, and dreadlocks down to his waist) looked around, smiled at me, and nodded like he was trying to say “go for it, he´s friendly.”

It has been a bit difficult to contact people in America, and a Euro isactually 1.3 dollars, instead of the other way around, as I initially thought (so no, that dress is not seven dollars) but for the most part my trip has started off without a hitch. I´m waiting for the BIC company cell phone (apparently they make more than pencils) I bought here to get the minutes I sent it, and then I´m going to go in the pool with my group mates.

So, despite the fact that this computer says “enviar” instead of “send” and I didn´t know what “recargar” meant until about twenty minutes ago, the cultural experience so far has been really fun. I can´t wait to see the dance that we end up doing for our families, and I hope everyone in the audience has the good sense not to take videos.

¡Abrazos y besos!

Juliet

Obama began his speech by referring to the September 11 attacks, reminding the American people why the war was started. He said that the U.S. has weakened the Taliban and al Qaeda, especially with the recent killing of Osama Bin Laden. Obama emphasized that the purpose of America’s involvement in Afghanistan is to ensure that Afghanistan is not a “safe haven” for al Qaeda or its other terrorist organizations. He said that he does not aim to create a perfect Afghanistan, but to train its government to protect its people. The U.S. has been achieving these goals, he said, making the removal of troops possible.

The president’s speech also broadened to say that the war in Afghanistan has posed questions about the nature of America’s involvement in global affairs, especially as we face a multitude of domestic problems. Obama said that the U.S. must take a middle route between the extremes of being isolated from the rest of the world and confronting every single global issue.

“We must be as pragmatic as we are passionate; as strategic as we are resolute,” said Obama. 

Obama said that now the U.S. must focus on its own domestic issues including economic strife, job loss, infrastructure problems and a need for renewable energy.

“Let us responsibly end these wars, and reclaim the American Dream that is at the center of our story,” Obama said.

After the enormous costs of the war—more than 1,500 Americans have been killed in Afghanistan with thousands more wounded physically and psychologically, and billions of dollars have been spent—it is definitely time to bring this war to an end. These costs have been felt throughout the country. Lace Cpl. Jeremy Kane (’06), a graduate of East, was killed while on duty in Afghanistan, bringing the harsh realities of this war close to home. Obama’s plan seems prudent; hopefully, it will prove successful. 

Visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/06/22/president-obama-way-forward-afghanistan to watch the Obama’s speech and http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20073525-503544.html to read the transcript.

            Though almost everyone serves in the IDF, not everyone is a combat soldier. After being drafted, Israelis undergo a series of physical and mental aptitude tests, and the army uses the results of these tests, as well as the soldier’s preferences, to place each soldier in a job that will fit them best. Non-combat jobs include intelligence, administrative work and being a medic, as well as search and rescue.  

            Israelis then go to college after serving. One’s experiences in the army aid Israelis in college and careers. For example, serving as a medic makes admission to an Israeli medical school easier.

Because enemy countries surround Israel, the nation must have strong defensive forces, and mandatory conscription allows it to defend itself. Israel is one of many countries, including Brazil, China, Greece, Mexico, Thailand, Russia and Turkey that have mandatory conscription.

For many East students, mandatory service seems unsatisfactory, and even unfair.

Rebekah Zaleski (‘11), who plans to attend Cabrini College next year, said, “I’d be terrified. I can’t imagine what it would be like [to have to serve].”

Leah Mele (‘11), who plans to attend Ursinus College, said that serving in the military before college would not only be foreign to her, but would be detrimental.

 “It would hold you back,” Mele said. “Everyone wants to go to college and get a job.”      

  Mele plans to become a lawyer, and says that she would not want the already eight-year-long law school training to be delayed by military service.

However, Andrew Athias (‘11) said that there are positive aspects to mandatory military service.

“[Conscription] builds a patriotic sense [of] pride,” said Athias.

However, he would not want to live in a country with mandatory service.

“It’s beautiful that [in America] we have a choice,” Athias said.

            Heather Hyon (‘11) plans to enlist in the U.S. Air Force in a few months, and participate in a program that will allow her to attend college (that being Rutgers Camden) while serving. She says she always knew that joining the military was an option, but decided that she wants to join the Air Force after visiting her older friend, an Air Force soldier, at Fort Dix, and meeting with a recruiter. Once she enlists, Hyon will undergo a series of physical and mental aptitude tests to determine her placement in the air force, similarly to the IDF system.

            Another East student who is joining the U.S. Air Force is Nick Birbilis (‘11), who was recently accepted into a competitive program at the Air Force Academy. Birbilis says he has always been interested in aviation, and wants to become a professional pilot. Birbilis already

knows how to fly, and is involved with the Civil Air Patrol, the civilian counterpart of the Air Force. He says he decided to join the military for the benefits it will offer, including leadership opportunities and the global network of people he will meet.

“I don’t think [having mandatory conscription] would have an affect [on my decision],” Birbilis said. “I’m doing it by choice.”

Mandatory conscription remains a controversial subject for Americans, but for Israeli high school seniors—it’s the next stage of life.

Today, they appear as figureheads, charity givers, and chairs of boards. As far as we mortals know, they do not seem to be well ahead of the times or to exceed expectations. Rather, the princesses today are hardly well known—unless they wear a $400,000 dress on their wedding day.

A new series of books, geared to and inspiring young girls, teaches us what it truly means to be an honorable princess. The Thinking Girl’s Treasury of Real Princesses proves that at least six princesses do not fit the fantastical mold we give princesses.

The stories of Artemisia of Carla, Sorghaghtani of Mongolia, Qutlugh Cerkan Khatun of Kivman, Isabella of Castile, Nur Jahan of India, and Hatshepsut of Egypt all prove that the title of “Princess” does not discount a life of hardship and perseverance.

Artemisia of Carla in Ancient Greece was a brave ruler who played a key role in the Persian Wars at a time when women were mean not to be listened to, but to listen. Never afraid to speak her mind, she alone was honest with the most feared leader of Persia and won his respect.

Sorghaghtani of Mongolia brought charity to a whole new level. Once given the chance to rule in the 13th century, she was able to turn poor lands to rich. She used respect and wit to gain a platform for becoming a revolutionary leader for Mongolia.

Qutlugh Cerkan Khatun of Kivman went through several kidnappers before ending up as a princess. She became so loved and respected by the people that after her husband died, they requested her as the next leader of 13th century Persia.

Isabella of Castile is the princess with the most impact on our own lives. She brought Spain together through her marriage to Ferdinand and sent Columbus on his journey to find India. She took initiative to become an effective ruler and did not wait in her castle for a knight in shining armor.

Nur Jahan of India became a ruler through love, as the respect and admiration her husband held earned her a very high position in government. She advocated for an increase in women liberties and further organized the country. Nur Jahan was repected so much so that she was the first woman to be honored on a coin in a Muslim country.

Hatshepsut of Egypt was buried in the Valley of Kings instead of the Valley of Queens—she was Egypt’s first pharaoh at a time when women were not considered as rulers. Interestingly enough, a portion of her treasures was in the famous Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Although meant for the targeted audience of 9 to 13, the morals, meaning and images are for far beyond that age range. The depth and detail of the content seems more appropriate for an older age group that would be able to more easily interpret and appreciate the stories. The princesses of today should strive to go above their expected duties, but more importantly, the lessons learned should inspire girls of every ages and status.

 On January 4, 2011, 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire and died of his wounds two weeks later. He committed this act of suicide in protest of the revocation of his fruit vender license and the ensuing harassment by Tunisian officials. This act of martyrdom was the catalyst for the Tunisian revolution, ousting of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and the current protests and uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East. Bouazizi’s suicidal act has spurred the largest and most influential uprisings in the Middle East in recent memory. Currently eleven Middle Eastern and North African nations have experienced revolts and protests because of the actions of Mohamed Bouazizi.

 Thus, Bouazizi’s selfless act has allowed freedom and change to spread through a region that has never experienced much of either.

 2. President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama as you may or may not know is the President of the United States. This past year he has put a revolutionary health care law in place and dealt with the Middle East uprisings smoothly. His health care law, while controversial, has provided forty million Americans with health care. Although he is relatively inexperienced in foreign affairs, the President dealt with the Egyptian uprising the only way he could: support it from afar and wait for freedom and equality to prevail. He has successfully taken a harder stance against Libya by authorizing U.S military intervention in the form of operation Odyssey Dawn.

 3. Mark Zuckerberg
Mark Zuckerberg has been brought to public attention to a great degree in the past year due to the release of the Facebook themed movie, “The Social Network.” You cannot even go to a grocery store without seeing the Facebook logo. It seems like everyone (including parents and grandparents) is on Facebook. Facebook brings people together in a forum never seen before, from old school friends to consumers and businesses. Facebook really changed the way the world accesses and views information.

 Just like Twitter, Facebook has had an impact on political stands and protests around the world. Facebook has brought the world to a new plateau.

 4. Admiral Mike Mullen

Admiral Mike Mullen is the leader of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and leads the military in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been instrumental in changing military procedure to more successful counterinsurgency measures. This has allowed for the United States to be more successful in war zones. Mullen has visited Iraq and Afghanistan at least 17 times which is a high amount for a battlefield commander and it has allowed him lead our troops more successfully. The Admiral has also been a strong proponent of getting rid of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. He has influenced the opinions of most of the military leaders in the United States and was one of the main reasons it was repealed this past year.

5. Jack Dorsey

Jack Dorsey is best known for founding the social media power house, Twitter. Twitter has been on a steep and steady rise since its debut. Tweeting serves a whole range of purposes, as it can let the world know what Paris Hilton thinks of her dinner…or help organize protests in countries around the world. Twitter helped protesters take on the harsh government in countries such as Egypt and Tunisia.

 This phenomenal social media device has been able to impact lives around the world in large proportions.

6. Julian Assange

Julian Assange is known as the creator the website WikiLeaks, which caused a lot of commotion and problems for foreign relations. The WikiLeaks website displays confidential information and national secrets on several world powers. The website alerted the government of the release of confidential information and the public was startled by this. Many people await trial for this breach of security and the public has become aware of information in which was never meant to become public.

 WikiLeaks is a paradoxical site which follows the First Amendment’s right to freedom of press, but breaks the law for confidentiality breach. The case is at a legal standstill and brings up many arguments for and against information release and the internet.

7. Tony Hayward

 Due to Tony Hayward’s inability to do his job correctly, millions of gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, effecting millions of people throughout the world. The world watched in horror as day after day the environmental catastrophe became worse due to BP’s inaction. Many blame Hayward for the crisis because the Deepwater Horizon, the oil rig that exploded, was not properly checked for safety regulations and failed to comply by the laws in place. Hayward cost BP billions of dollars due to his incompetence.

 In BP’s reply to the situation, Hayward was not fired but transferred to their branch in Russia. 

 8. Chilean Miners

Thirty-three brave Chilean men were stuck underground for 69 days, after there was a collapse in the mine in which they were working. Somehow, they all reached the safe-room in the mine and survived until rescue crews could safely remove them. During the course of the collapse, rescuers lowered food and commodities to the stuck miners. On the 69th day, the world watched in awe as all 33 miners were pulled to safety.

 This was a true testimony to the strength of the human spirit and how much it can endure—and even withstand.

 9. South Africa

South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup and proved to the world that Africa has slowly climbed out of its pit of darkness and will once again be an equal partner with the rest of the world. While the South African men’s national soccer team did not move on past the group stage in the World Cup, they showed the world that spirit can beat adversity. Perhaps this event will prove to be a comeback for African nations; maybe it won’t.

But either way, South Africa’s hosting the 2010 World Cup certainly deserves recognition.

10. Al-Jazeera

Al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based news network, revealed its importance during the Arab uprisings across the Middle East. Al-Jazeera is the only news network in the Middle East that has non-biased reports, up to date information and correspondents in every country. The network has been crucial in supplying people living in the Middle East and around the world with important information regarding the unrest. Without Al-Jazeera, the hundreds of millions of people who reside in the Middle East would be completely ignorant of the true nature of the uprisings and chaos currently taking place.